Super Readers' Biggest Adventure Gaiden: Darkness Rewrite
by iheartgod175
Summary: Stories in the fairytale world are being severely altered, and Whyatt is suspected to be responsible for it. In order to clear his name, the Super Readers venture into the ruined stories, only to encounter a threat the likes of which they'd never seen before. Side-story to Super Readers' Biggest Adventure.
1. Chapter 1: Darkness Rising

**A/N:** Before I start,I just want to give my Lord and Savior thanks for giving me the idea for this story, as well as showing me how to write it. You deserve to be praised, O Lord! Amen! Also, thanks, BHS, for your inspiring works, namely _Shattered Skies._

Gosh, I never thought I'd be writing for Super Why again, but yet, here I am! Ever since I started watching the series again on PBS, I've gotten lots of ideas for continuing the story that _Super Readers' Biggest Adventure_ started. And speaking of that, in order to get the feel of this story, I'd highly recommend reading that one in order to know who the characters are and the plot thus far.

This is part of a short-story series which follows the Super Readers and the other characters after the events of _SRBA_. Technically, this was supposed to be the last one before _Chaos' Revenge_ happens, but I couldn't resist writing it.

So, yeah, I'm gonna shut up so you can enjoy the story...

 **Disclaimer:** Even after all these years, I still don't own Super Why. The show is copyright of Angela Santomero and Out of the Blue Enterprises, as well as the other networks that own it.

* * *

"This is beyond anything I've ever seen, or heard of, Jeremiah," Ethan said, handing a scroll to the older superhero. "All of these stories have had their endings altered."

Jeremiah looked up from his stack of paperwork to see the scroll. He unfurled it and started to read. His brow furrowed as he studied the names of the stories closely. "This is odd indeed. Why, I believe we haven't seen something like this since the Evil Reader incident," he said. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the names, not believing what he was seeing.

All of the names on the list were stories that the Super Readers, his new protégés, had changed in order to solve their problems. The stories themselves were happier, and the characters inside each story hadn't faced much of a problem ever since the children had arrived, and ever since they had saved the world two months ago, they practically worshipped the children, even more than Mother Goose herself.

Ethan had come to him a few days before telling him that he felt a strange movement in the fairytale world, one that was connected with dark magic. Jeremiah had sent him on the case immediately, asking him to investigate every story. The scroll that Ethan had presented him with contained the names of all of the stories that made up the fairytale world, which in itself made for a pretty comprehensive list. The ones that had been severely altered were circled in red.

The ones that had been circled made up over half of the list.

Jeremiah frowned. He didn't like where this was going. The most reasonable suspect was his mortal enemy, Chaos, but he had long been cast into the Pits of No Return, where he would remain forever as punishment for his crimes. Another suspect was Jackson Flatts, but he had been stripped of most of his power since his imprisonment. He didn't even have a fraction of his reality-warping powers anymore, the powers that had made him a target for Chaos in the first place.

That meant there was only one other suspect.

Setting down the scroll at last, Jeremiah looked at Ethan sternly. "I need you to head to Storybrook Village. Tell Whyatt and his friends that I must speak to them urgently."

* * *

 **Super Readers' Biggest Adventure Gaiden**

 **Darkness Rewrite**

 _By: iheartgod175_

 **Part 1: Darkness Rising  
**

"Man, am I beat..."

"That's what happens when you decide to eat a big breakfast right before gym class, Whyatt."

"I couldn't help it, Red. I hadn't eaten much of anything yesterday!"

"And that's what happens when you decide to train for two hours."

"Hmm..."

Four friends sat outside together on a large picnic blanket, laughing and trading stories. The speaker, an olive-skinned boy with brown hair and deep blue eyes, slumped forwards, his expression tiresome as he looked at his plate of food while the girl to his right let out a small chuckle.

"Aw, come on, Whyatt. You're not that tired." The girl in question, a fair-skinned girl with sandy brown hair, freckles and brown eyes, patted the boy on his shoulder.

"I know I'm not." To her right sat a little pig who wore overalls and a yellow shirt, as well as a baseball cap that seemed a bit small on his head. His bright blue eyes were alight with excitement. "I'm looking forward to training with my powers this afternoon!"

"Oh my peas! I almost forgot that we have to write to Muse and Woofster soon!" The last occupant at their picnic was a dark-skinned girl with pea-colored eyes and long curly hair. She sat in front of her three friends, and pulled out a pen.

"I still can't believe it's been two months since we've seen them," Whyatt Beanstalk replied. "The last time we talked to them, Woofster was helping his father on a mission in his story."

"And Muse was solving a mystery about Prince Phillip," Princess Pea added.

Little Red Riding Hood sighed. "They're lucky to go on an adventure while we're stuck training."

Littlest Pig smiled. "They've been working as superheroes way longer than we have, Red. And since we've all got new powers now, I think Jeremiah wants us to control that first."

"...you've got a good point."

The bell soon rang, and children started to make their way back inside the school. Whyatt stood up first, and then helped Red up to her feet. She looked up at him in surprise at first before a little blush made its way to her face. A few seconds later, her hand fitted into his, and he lifted her up off the ground, feeling a little heat come to his face. A few kids walking by saw this and giggled, causing them to blush a little more.

It was still odd, Whyatt mused; only a few months before, he never would have thought that his friend had been in love with him, or that he had cared that much about her. They were still trying to get used to holding hands, and it then occurred to Whyatt what would have happened if they were to ever kiss. An uncontrollable amount of heat came to his face then, and he knew that he was about as red as her shirt.

"Uh, Whyatt?" Red started. "Are you okay?"

Whyatt chuckled nervously. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "J-Just had a thought, that's all..."

"Well, if you guys are done thinking," Pig said, motioning to the school doors.

"Right," Whyatt said, beginning to breathe a little easier. "L-Let's get to class."

Princess Pea and Pig made their way inside, and then Whyatt and Red followed behind. The whole time they did so, their hands remained linked, and neither of them seemed content to let the other go.

* * *

 _Elsewhere..._

It was a warm, spring afternoon in the park, where a crowd of dogs were gathered. A few yipped with excitement, their tails wagging furiously as they watched Woofster prepare for his afternoon practice, just as they had every day for weeks.

Just a few months ago, Woofster's life had been upended with the Evil Reader Incident. He'd led an unremarkable life until then; he was the son of the legendary Blue Wonder, but he wasn't as strong as his siblings, and was, to put it simply, a nerd. Not that being nerdy was a bad thing; his smarts had helped on more than one occasion. They just didn't help him save the day often.

That had all changed when he met Princess Muse of Major Land and ended up getting involved in a battle to save the fairytale world from being taken over. Now, he not only had become a savior of the worlds, but he had also gained new powers, respect from his father, and friendships with the other Super Readers.

Currently, he was exercising with the powers in question: powers that dealt with lightning to be exact. The first time he'd used his powers, he'd simply covered his body with lightning while he ran at high speed towards his target. While that was a nice power to have, he knew he'd need some new tricks in order to defeat any new opponents that came his way.

"Alright," he said, planting his feet on the ground. "Let's do this."

"Go, Woofster!" one of the puppies cheered before barking happily.

Woofster turned to survey the crowd and smiled. Before, a crowd would have made him nervous, but after a while, he got used to their presence and learned to focus. Even better, having them there helped him learn all about control, as lightning was quite unpredictable.

Turning back to face the front, Woofster narrowed his eyes at the three dummies that were scattered around the field. The dictionary badge on his dog collar began to spark with electricity, and sparks climbed over his fur as he concentrated. Gasps of surprise came from the group as they watched the field of lightning grow around Woofster.

 _Alright, now to remember that trick that Muse taught me._ Closing his eyes, he called a mental image of the lightning surrounding him forming into spheres. He could feel an ache begin in the back of his head as he put his mind to work. Soon, the field of lightning surrounding him started to dissolve as the bolts started to form six baseball-sized spheres of crackling energy. He opened his eyes and, to his dismay, he found that his vision was starting to blur, a side effect of the conversion. Instead of three dummies, he was seeing doubles of them, and he narrowed his eyes in concentration to keep himself from falling over.

 _Alright. Here we go._ He exhaled slowly and then looked at the targets. When his vision cleared up a little more, he shouted, "Fire!"

Electricity crackled as the spheres shot forwards, most of them heading in a straight line. Two spheres slammed into the dummy in front of him, while the others shot past and hit the ground, creating miniature explosions that sent dust clouds flying into the air. Spent from using so much energy, Woofster fell forwards, his legs having gone limp and his neck going stiff.

"Oh, no!" One of the puppies, a pink poodle wearing green and yellow sneakers, rushed forwards to help him. "Are you okay, Woofster?"

Woofster opened his eyes and offered a smile to the poodle. "Yeah, I'll be fine, Priscilla. But that new trick's a doozy."

"I'll say." A Dalmatian puppy with blue eyes walked over to him. "You looked like you were having a tough time back there."

"It's not easy creating a new attack. I don't know how Muse manages to do that at the drop of a hat," Woofster replied.

"Isn't Muse off on some new adventure or something?" Priscilla asked.

"Yeah. She and her dad are trying to find a way to save the World Tree," he said. "I just hope nothing happens to it again..."

"Can you tell us about the World Tree, Woofster?" the Dalmatian asked.

"Yeah! I wanna know all about the battle with the Evil Reader!" Priscilla said.

"Sure!" Woofster agreed. No matter how many times he told them, he was amazed that people found the story of the Evil Reader fascinating. At that moment, his stomach rumbled loudly, gaining the attention of everyone surrounding him. He looked up at them sheepishly.

"Uh...you don't mind if I tell it to you guys over lunch, right?"

* * *

"...and that is the history of the Mother Goose statue. Thank you."

Applause filled the room as Red finished her history report, and the brunette beamed as she looked at her classmates. The ones clapping the most for her were her friends, and when she looked at Whyatt, she managed to bite back a blush.

"Thank you, Red. That was an excellent report," Ms. Clementine said. She clasped her hands together as she looked at the class. "Does anybody else want to go next."

A few hands shot into the air, and Ms. Clementine laughed as the children all tried to jostle for position. "Alright, alright, everyone, settle down!" She pointed at Little Boy Blue, who was waving his hand frantically in the air. "Okay, Little Boy Blue, you can go next."

"Um...actually, I have to go to the bathroom," Little Boy Blue said, "and I've had to go for the last few minutes."

"Oh! Well, don't let us hold you back then! Go on to the bathroom, but don't take too long," Ms. Clementine said. "After this last report, we're doing math."

Everyone in class groaned, but Little Boy Blue beamed. "Alright!" he cheered. He then got out of his chair and went to grab the bathroom pass hanging on the wall. "I won't be long, Ms. Clementine!"

He made to open the door, but that was when the door opened for him. He jumped back a little and looked up at the stranger in the doorway, who was a tall, dark-skinned man with glasses and wearing gold and red robes.

Ms. Clementine looked just as surprised. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

The man cleared his throat. "My name is Ethan, personal messenger to Jeremiah of the Superhero Council," he said.

"The...the Superhero Council?" Ms. Clementine repeated, just as shocked.

Ethan nodded. It was right then that Whyatt got out of his chair. "Ethan?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Ethan turned to look at him then, and Whyatt was taken aback by the seriousness in his eyes. "There's been another incident in the fairytale world, Whyatt. I was sent to bring you and your friends to the Superhero Council at once by Jeremiah himself."

Whyatt looked at his friends, who looked as confused as he felt. Pig, for his part, looked scared. He then looked to his teacher. "Ms. Clementine, can you call our parents and tell them that we're going to be late coming home?" he asked.

"Um..y-yes, of course!" Ms. Clementine cleared her throat to regain her composure. "Just be careful, okay, kids?"

Whyatt smiled. "We will," he said.

"Um, can I go to the bathroom now?" Little Boy Blue asked Ethan.

Ethan looked down at him,and his glance became much warmer. "Of course. I'm sorry I startled you," he said. "Allow me." He soon moved out of the way, and Little Boy Blue ran down the hallway, not wanting to be in the way much longer.

As Whyatt walked over to Ethan, millions of questions formed on his tongue. What was going on in the fairytale world that was so serious? Why was Ethan so serious? And why did he get the feeling that he was in trouble somehow?

Soon, they were all walking down the hallway together, not saying anything to each other at all. Princess Pea and Pig sent furtive glances at each other, while Red was giving Ethan a pointed glare. Whyatt pulled at his fingers nervously and focused his gaze on the floor.

"So, what's going on this time?" Princess Pea started.

"I don't have all the details yet, but someone is going around changing the stories...and we have reason to believe that that someone has reality-warping powers."

"R-Reality warping powers?" Pig repeated.

"Yes."

"B-But...the only person who has reality-warping powers is Jackson!" Red pointed out. "And he and Lexicon are in jail!"

"Yes, but there is one other suspect that Jeremiah is thinking of," Ethan said. At this, he gave Whyatt a pointed look. "And this suspect is very close to you all."

Whyatt stopped in his tracks, and so did the others. The realization hit him hard, and it made his throat close up and his face pale.

"Y-You mean...Jeremiah thinks Whyatt did it?" Princess Pea whispered.

"That's ridiculous!" Red shouted. Her face had matched her hoodie. "Whyatt would never do something like that!"

"She's right! We haven't changed any stories since the stuff with the Evil Reader!" Pig added.

"Even so, Jeremiah wishes to hear this himself, as well as the rest of the Council," Ethan replied. "He will be relieved when we tell him what you've said, but at the same time..."

Whyatt seemed to have found his voice. He looked up at Ethan. "He'll be annoyed because he can't find out who did it, right?"

Ethan nodded. "I understand that you're all confused, but we don't have all the answers, and I can't answer all your questions. The only way we can solve this mystery is if we head to the Superhero Council right now."

Red sighed and folded her arms, but Whyatt interrupted before she could speak. "Alright. We'll go."

"Come along then. The chariot is waiting," Ethan said.

Wordlessly, the four Super Readers made their way outside.

* * *

"And that's how you got your new medal?" Priscilla asked.

Woofster beamed. "Yep! The best part was when me and my dad went out for burgers afterwards."

"Ooh, I love burgers!" Priscilla replied. "But my parents won't let me eat them. Something about it not being proper, or something like that. I have no idea what that word even means."

At that, Woofster's tail curled into a question mark as he turned towards her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "I can tell you what any word means!" he said.

"Oh, boy, here he goes," the Dalmatian puppy replied, playfully rolling his eyes.

Woofster sent the puppy a lopsided smile in return, and turned to Priscilla, the explanation right on the tip of his tongue-

"There you are! I've been searching for you everywhere, Woofster!"

Woofster's mouth snapped shut, and his eyes widened in surprise. He turned to face the owner of the voice, histail wagging excitedly. "Hey, Why-"

He stopped again, staring at the person who stood before him and his friends. He was a boy who looked a lot like Whyatt...but at the same time, Woofster got the impression that it wasn't him at all. The boy's costume appeared to be an inverted version of Super Why's costume, only that the main body of the suit was black, and the sleeves and briefs were green. The book emblem emblazoned on the chest was red and gold, surrounded with a black nexus. His mask was jagged in the front, looking a lot like a bat's wings.

"Whyatt...?" Woofster said.

"Oh...I'm not Whyatt," the boy said. He looked up at Woofster then, and the deep green, soulless eyes that stared into Woofster's confirmed it. "But I'll bet you wish I was."

"What are you talking about-"

"I'll explain everything," the boy interrupted. In the blink of an eye, a cutlass materialized into his hands. With a deft spin, he pointed his weapon at Woofster. "That is, if you can defeat me."

Whines from behind him reminded Woofster of his situation. He turned towards Priscilla with a serious expression. "Priscilla, you take the others and get out of here."

"B-But what about you?" she asked.

"I'll handle this guy. You and the others get to safety," Woofster replied. "I'll come back to join you when I'm finished up here."

Priscilla still looked worried, but one look at the other dogs made up her mind. With another glance towards Woofster, she and the rest of the dogs took off running for the park exit.

"So, what's your decision?" the boy replied, flashing him a razor-sharp smile.

Woofster pawed at the ground before shifting into a battle stance. He didn't know who this lookalike was, or what he was doing here in his story, but he wasn't about to let him near his friends. His eyes narrowed, and a gold aura surrounded him, illuminating the blues of his eyes.

"You're on."

* * *

 _ **And that is the end of the first part of this short story! I'm thinking of making it a four or five chapter story-and hopefully, it won't take me a long time to finish it. There are some Easter eggs thrown in: the puppy that Woofster's talking to, Priscilla, is inspired by the puppy in the episode "Pupp-Athon" and the Dalmatian is inspired by Marshall from Paw Patrol (who's my favorite of the pups). Some events that are described by the Super Readers (Woofster's adventure with his father, and Muse and her father's mystery solving) are going to appear later in this short-story series. As I said, the adventure continues!**_

 _ **Next part will reveal who the Whyatt-lookalike is, and shows the outcome of the Super Readers' meeting with Jeremiah and the rest of the Superhero Council. Let me know what you think of the story in your reviews!**_

 _ **God bless, iheartgod175**_


	2. Chapter 2: Shadow of Darkness

**A/N:** Here's Part 2 of _Darkness Rewrite_ , folks! Things get more intense here as the new villain is revealed. Oh, and it's going to be much longer than last time. So, I hope you enjoy this!

 **Disclaimer:** I still don't own Super Why. I just own the original characters I created.

* * *

 **Super Readers' Biggest Adventure Gaiden**

 **Darkness Rewrite**

 **Part 2: Shadows of Darkness**

 _Superhero Council Meeting Room_

"Jeremiah?" Ethan called, knocking on the door. "I have brought the Super Readers to see you."

There was silence from the other side of the door. Then, a deep, melodious voice said, "Let them in."

Ethan looked over at the Super Readers, who looked very uneasy-or, in Red's case, suspicious. He turned towards the doors and pushed them open, allowing them to hit the walls. He strode into the room ahead of the Super Readers, trying to ignore the feel of Red's glare on his back. He understood why she would be suspicious. Anybody would, especially since he knew he held back most of the information from them. He had wanted to explain everything, but Jeremiah wanted to explain everything himself. There was a chance that there may be an explanation as to why the Council suspected Whyatt, one that the Super Readers would not take well.

He stopped at the table, and turned to face Jeremiah, his muscles stiff. "Is there anything else that you need from me, sir?"

"Send in the rest of the Council. I'll brief the Super Readers on what to expect," Jeremiah answered. "After that, you can come back to the meeting when it's started, Ethan."

Ethan nodded wordlessly, and then he left.

When he was sure that he was gone, Jeremiah turned towards the Super Readers. His expression was sorrowful. "All of you, sit down, please."

Wordlessly, the children obeyed, taking their seats in a semi circle around Jeremiah. After they were seated, Jeremiah cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry to have to call you all out of school like this, but this is something that I can't ignore." He looked at Whyatt directly. "Have you used your powers recently, Whyatt?"

Whyatt paused and thought for a moment. "Yesterday, when Red and I were training," he said. "I was practicing my new light techniques and Red was working on her fight moves."

"I see. And have you entered stories since the last time we talked?"

Whyatt shook his head. "Not at all. We don't even need to. Everything was fine in the Fairytale World until Ethan told us what was going on," he answered.

Jeremiah nodded, and then he sighed.

Princess Pea looked up at him, concerned. "Is something wrong, Jeremiah?"

"It's not that I doubt Whyatt; I trust him, and all of you, because you all are good kids. And I would tell the Superhero Council that myself, but..."

"But what?" Red asked.

"The Superhero Council has a...history with the Super Readers," Jeremiah said, choosing his words carefully. "And it's not a very good one either."

"Why?" Pig asked.

"Well, it all started almost a hundred years ago," Jeremiah began, "and back then, things were even more violent than they are now."

"Why am I not surprised?" Red remarked.

"Red, listen to what he has to say!" Princess Pea admonished.

"Eighty years ago, the fairytale world was almost destroyed by a mad sorcerer who wielded the Sword of Sealing. He went through nearly every story and wrecked them, and then he set his sights on what is still the source of life for all the fairytale world: the World Tree of Knowledge, otherwise known as the World Tree," Jeremiah said. "One of Major Land's kings, named Intermezzo, was able to stop the confusion and destroy the sorcerer, but he couldn't restore the World Tree, as it was dying."

Princess Pea raised her hand. "If I may interrupt, what does the World Tree do? Muse was making it seem like a big deal back when we last got a letter from her."

"It is a big deal," Jeremiah answered. "The World Tree isn't just any normal tree. It is the root of the fairytale world, and it allows every single story to be connected. That is why characters from different stories can meet each other like they can in Storybrook Village. Without its powers coursing through each and every story, people would never be able to do that...and everyone in every single story would die."

Pig gasped. "Oh no...that sounds horrible!"

"No wonder Muse was making a big deal about that tree," Red mused.

"Indeed, the rulers of Major Land have protected that tree for generations, and they still do. But there was one other Guardian of the World Tree, one who you may know very, very well," Jeremiah said.

"And who's that?" Whyatt asked.

Jeremiah smiled, as if remembering an old memory. "Mother Goose herself."

Everyone gasped. "Mother Goose?!" they exclaimed.

He nodded. "The person who gave you your powers was the Guardian of the World Tree and the Guardian of the Fairytale World. She was able to restore the World Tree with the Sword of Sealing's power, and for this, she was named as the Guardian of World Tree."

"But why was she named the Guardian of the Fairytale World?" Red asked.

"Back then, everyone in every story hated each other. Mother Goose had a love for all stories, which was virtually unheard of. So, Intermezzo and the other kings of the story named her as the Guardian of the Fairytale World. But she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to handle it alone, especially since the World Tree was a top priority," Jeremiah continued. "So, she asked every king of every story for permission to create a group of superheroes, filled with people who had a love of reading and had powers related to that. Those heroes were soon known as..."

Whyatt's eyes widened as it clicked in his mind. "The Super Readers..."

"Indeed. And when she created the Super Readers, she took them under her wing, so to speak, to train them and show them how to use their powers," Jeremiah said.

"Wow..." Pig breathed.

"Wait a minute," Red said. "I'm a little confused. If the Super Readers are superheroes, wouldn't the Superhero Council take them in?"

"Yeah! We're superheroes, too!" Pig added. "We just have different powers from others."

"It would've been easy, but there was a lot of evil in the Superhero Council, and Mother Goose didn't want the children to be there," he said. "Along with that, there were members of the Superhero Council who thought that the Super Readers were useless, and that they couldn't protect the Fairytale World as well as they could. The members of the Superhero Council had been protecting the fairytale world for a long time with their own powers. The Super Readers and the Superhero Council have never gotten along ever since then."

"Oh my chinny chin chin!"

"But that was eighty years ago!" Whyatt said.

"Why would the Superhero Council still hate us? We didn't do anything to them!" Princess Pea exclaimed.

"There are people who will never change their thinking, regardless of whether you did anything to them or not. And you're going to get a dose of that when you meet the other members of the Superhero Council for the first time. You saw a few of them at the trial, but you've never met them face-to-face," Jeremiah replied.

"Gee, I wonder why," Red replied sourly.

It was right then that the doors opened and Ethan came back in. He looked even more pained than when the Super Readers had seen him earlier. "Jeremiah...the Council demands to see Whyatt now," he said.

"Didn't you tell them I was in the middle of a meeting with them?" Jeremiah asked.

"I did, and I tried to explain, but they refused to listen. They said if you don't send Whyatt to meet with them, they will arrest him and strip him of his powers."

That got a reaction. Jeremiah shot out of his chair so fast, he sent it clattering to the floor. _"What?"_

"What?!" Pig, Red and Princess Pea shouted.

Whyatt stared at Ethan in utter shock. "...what?"

"I didn't make that statement. Davit did," Ethan said. He groaned. "Out of all the people who could be there for the trial, I was hoping he wouldn't appear..."

"Whoever this 'Davit' guy is, he's not gonna get away with this!" Red said. For the second time that day, her face was turning the color of a tomato. "He can't do that! That's...that's unfair!"

"And Whyatt didn't even get to share his side of the story!" Princess Pea added.

"Everyone, calm down," Whyatt said. In truth, he was just as shocked as everyone else, but he had to stop his friends from getting too angry. "I'm worried too, but I think we need to get to the bottom of this. And the only way to do that is if I stand trial."

"But Whyatt...they might just take your powers away, even if you do stand trial!" Princess Pea pointed out.

"And then who'll be our leader?" Pig whined.

"Red would be the new leader if that happened," Whyatt answered easily. When he saw Red's look of utter surprise, he said, "Don't worry, Red. Everyone told me what a great job you did when Lexicon and I were trapped in the Dark Prophecies."

Red turned back to face the table, although Whyatt didn't her face go slightly red. "I-It's not like I had much of a choice...everyone was ready to give up and someone had to boost their morale."

"And you did a great job at that," Princess Pea said. "If something happened to Whyatt, I'm sure you'll be the one who'll hold us together."

"You...you really believe in me, don't you?" Red asked.

Princess Pea nodded. "I'm your best friend, Red," she said. She offered her a smile. "No matter what happens, I'll always stay by your side."

Red looked over at Pig, who gave her an earnest smile of his own. She then turned towards Princess Pea, a smile spreading on her face at last. "Thanks, Princess," she said. "You too, Pig. But in all honesty, I really hope nothing bad happens to Whyatt."

"That makes two of us," Whyatt added.

Jeremiah turned to face Whyatt. "I recommend that you go ahead and meet with the rest of the Council. The last thing I want is for you to lose your powers over this," he said.

Whyatt nodded. He turned towards his friends, who were all looking at him with worried looks in their eyes. Offering a small smile, he said, "Don't worry, guys. I'll be alright. If there's a problem, Jeremiah will let you know as soon as possible."

Pig held up both of his hands, and crossed his fingers. "Here's to hoping nothing bad happens!"

Whyatt chuckled at this. "Thanks, guys." With that, he got up and left the table, ready to meet with the Superhero Council.

* * *

 _Elsewhere..._

Priscilla shrieked in terror as another lightning bolt dropped from the sky with enough force to blow up the ground. She wasn't the only one who was terrified; next to her, the other three dogs were huddled in a mass, shuddering violently as the sky was filled with the sounds of roaring thunder.

"T-T-This is crazy!" One of the puppies, a small, light-brown furred bulldog, covered his eyes from the fight.

"I know..." Priscilla replied, her eyes focused on the rising cloud of debris that covered half of the park. It was indeed an insane fight; one minute, things had been pretty contained, and the next thing they knew, it had spilled out onto the streets and sent nearly everyone in the park fleeing for cover. Apparently, Woofster's new opponent had no regard for civilians that might be about. "I only hope that Woofster can stop him..."

A paw settled on top of hers. She looked over to face the Dalmatian. He looked just as fearful as she felt, but he was trying to be brave, if his sten glare was of any indication. "I know he can," he said. "It's gonna be okay, Priscilla. We're all gonna be okay."

Priscilla nodded, too overcome with fear to speak.

* * *

Woofster stood uneasily on all fours, breathing in deeply to recover from using such energy. His father had told him that such backlash was to be expected, especially when using an attack like he'd used earlier, but he felt like he'd run three marathons in a row. His legs felt like jelly, and they burned from the cuts that the dark Whyatt lookalike had given him. He knew from then on that the person fighting him was not Whyatt. Aside from the boy having no skills in swordplay, Whyatt would never attack him.

Even so, the lookalike was down, and hopefully for good. The attack that Woofster had dropped on him, nicknamed "Heaven Asunder", was one of his most powerful abilities, able to sear concrete and melt steel. If the lookalike had attempted to escape, the resulting explosive sphere of bolts would have electrocuted him before he could've made it out of there.

If that didn't work, Woofster didn't know what else would.

The dust cloud finally disappeared, and a figure sat there on the ground, head hung low. Woofster trotted over to the lookalike as best as he could. Closer inspection showed that the boy's clothes were damaged, and he was bleeding from the top of his head.

Woofster stopped ten yards away from him. "Alright, you. Since I've won our fight, you have to hold up to your end of the deal. Tell me who you are, and what you want with me," he asked.

The lookalike's form shuddered. And then, out of nowhere, he began to laugh. Woofster stared at the boy in shock for a long moment, confused as to why he'd be laughing. Nobody should be laughing after getting an attack like that dropped on their heads.

The lookalike looked up at him then, a cruel sneer on his face. Woofster stepped back, his eyes wide with dawning horror. "You-"

"That bolt was impressive, Woofster," the lookalike interrupted, getting to his feet. "But if you thought that would down me, you've got another thing coming."

Woofster forced himself to stand his ground. The lookalike's stance reminded him so much of the Evil Reader, with his lax pose and free hand outstretched, his sword grasped in his other hand. The lookalike's green eyes glowed intensely, and all around him, spheres of green fire blossomed into existence. Hundreds of spheres of surrounded him.

 _"Mystic Arte, Pyro Shooter!"_ the lookalike called out.

Woofster leaped into the air the moment the spheres streaked towards him. Most of them hit the ground and covered it in a cloud of fire, but the lookalike turned around and sent the remaining spheres flying at him. Woofster dove for the seats in the stadium, flying as fast as he could to avoid them. Explosion after deafening explosion filled his ears as the lines of fire crashed into the chairs, blowing them apart. Woofster took to the open skies as he before he slammed into the end of the section, and green light filled his peripheral vision as another sphere crashed into the wall.

Woofster turned around to face the lookalike, and his eyes widened when he saw three much larger spheres of fire surround the boy. With a crazed smile, the lookalike called out, _"Disaster Heat!"_ The fireballs launched towards him immediately afterwards.

Woofster leaped away from the incoming fire, and concentrated his powers into the badge on his chest. Electricity coursed over his back and grew in size until he was encased in a small ball of crackling electricity. Concentrating, he condensed the field into spheres of energy. Tens of them surrounded him in a small field as he focused his aim on the lookalike.

"Fire!" he called out. The spheres launched at their target, and some of them crashed to the ground in front of him. The lookalike jumped back to avoid the explosive attacks, and used his cutlass to swat the others away. Explosions filled their ears as the attacks hit the walls of the stadium. Woofster grimaced at this; he'd need to work on his aim if he had any hope of defeating this guy.

"Nice shooting...if you were aiming at the ground!" the Whyatt lookalike shouted.

"I'm going to ask you this one more time," Woofster panted, the fatigue starting to catch up with him. "Who are you?"

The boy chuckled. "You'll regret asking this..."

"Spill it!" Woofster shouted, his patience running thin.

"Well, if you must know..." The boy raised his eyes to look at him, his eyes filled with twisted pride. "I'm an Evil Reader. And I'm going to finish what our master started."

Those words came as such a shock to Woofster that he froze in midair, mouth agape and face pale with horror. He paid dearly for that a second later; the Evil Reader raced up at him, cutlass on fire, and swung. The wave of fire that crashed into him felt like he'd been hit by an incoming train, and he felt his ribs shift in ways they weren't supposed to. He was sent rocketing upwards into the sky with the impact, and the scream that tore from his throat could've been heard for miles.

* * *

The Evil Reader laughed as he watched his opponent rise to his doom. He'd been a good opponent for a while, but it was just as his master had told him. He was only beginning to use his powers and, while he'd certainly improved his powers in that short amount of time, he was still weak, flawed.

But that could be dwelt on later. Right now, he had a job to do, and this time without any interference.

With a snap of his fingers, a wallet-sized book materialized into his right hand, automatically flipping to the middle of the book. He raised his left hand into the air, and soon green fire appeared on the blade. He focused on the page in front of him and began to read.

 _"By the powers of 'The Dark Prophecies', I take control of Darkness and Chaos. Darkness...Chaos...spread throughout the land. Destroy anything that gets in your way, and rewrite everything according to your design,"_ he recited.

The flames on the sword grew and grew, until it towered over the boy. _"Unleash your wrath, and bring this land into ruin! Darkness Rewrite!"_

The fire on the blade shot forth in a massive, fifty meter beam that tore through the skies. An explosion rocked the area then, with enough force to shake the entire ground. The Evil Reader heard the sounds of horrible screams coming from all around him, and he closed his eyes and drunk in the sounds of terror with a smile on his face.

"Ah, music. Sweet music," he said, humming softly. "Now, on towards the next story. But first things first...I want to survey my work."

* * *

 _I was too late..._

Woofster groaned as he hung in midair, trying to catch his breath. His whole body felt like it was on fire, especially his ribs-he felt as though he'd pass out if he even tried to move an inch. He looked up at the sky, which had gone a sickly green, and was faintly aware of all the screams coming from the townspeople below.

He'd heard the Evil Reader recite that spell; it was a spell that he'd known all too well. When Jackson, then known as the Evil Reader, had come to his story, he'd beaten his father, followed by using the destructive spell that froze everyone and turned the very story into a land of ruin. But this boy's version of the spell was different-apparently, he was able to make the people feel pain, pain the likes of which they'd never felt before. And Woofster didn't even want to _think_ about what was happening to the story itself.

He gasped then. "Oh, no...Priscilla and the others!" he cried. With enough strength that he could muster, he raced towards the ground, heading outside of the coliseum and towards the park.

Already the Darkness Rewrite was starting to take effect; all plants were shriveled and dead, and once gleaming buildings and other statues were nothing more than rusty husks of their former selves. A cold, raging wind whipped through the dead trees, and sent a rotting picnic table flying into a nearby tree. It shattered against the dying bark with a loud _crash._

And sitting together where the picnic table had been were the puppies he'd befriended, all of them encased in green crystal. Priscilla stood in front of them, her back arched in order to protect them. The others' terrified expressions were frozen in crystal, their fearful eyes staring into Woofster's.

 _I was too late,_ he thought again, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. _No, I was too_ weak. _I was too weak to save my own story. Now I'm too weak to help my friends..._

He was barely aware of the fact that the townspeople had stopped screaming, and only the whistle of the wind filled his ears now. He sighed, and carefully made his way towards the city streets, taking care to not strain himself. He kept his gaze straight ahead, not wanting to look at any of the ruined buildings or encased people as he passed. Right now, he needed to find a way out of there and get back to his own story so he could get some help. There was no way to contact anyone here.

"Going so soon, Woofster?"

Woofster paused upon hearing that voice. He turned around to see the Evil Reader sitting in midair, legs crossed and arms folded. "I thought you wanted to take a look at what I've created," the boy said.

Hot anger replaced Woofster's sorrow. He turned around fully to speak to the Evil Reader. "Why?"

"Why what? You've gotta be more specific."

"Why did you do this?! Don't you know that when you corrupt stories, you create horrible lives for everyone?!" Woofster shouted.

"Duh. Of course I knew that," the Evil Reader replied casually. "I'm not interested in the lives of several thousands of people and their dumb pets. They can all die, for all I care, but the Master doesn't want that."

The casualness in his tone only made Woofster angrier, but he forced himself to keep hold of his raging emotions. "Your master? Who is that?"

The Evil Reader chuckled. "Oh, someone you probably know," he said calmly. "He's a powerful foe who almost ripped apart the fairytale world."

Woofster's eyes widened with terror at the realization. "Y-You can't mean..."

"That's right. The very embodiment of evil himself. Chaos," the Evil Reader explained.

Woofster stumbled back, heaving short, sharp breaths one after another. That couldn't be true. That just _couldn't_ be true. Chaos was gone, gone in one of the most permanent ways possible, and his army of possessed fairytale characters had been restored. The fairytale world as a whole had been restored. Jackson Flatts, who'd given in to his despair and became commandeered by Chaos, was restored, although he was still serving time for his past crimes. There was no way he should be giving orders to this person.

The Evil Reader smirked upon seeing his look of horror. "You wanna know something even cooler? I'm not the only Evil Reader here. There are others, right now, doing our Master's bidding," he said. "He told me himself that he wants us to get everything ready for when he returns to this wretched world. After that...there's no stopping him."

"Why...w-why are you doing this?!" Woofster demanded. "Chaos caused so much suffering for everyone in the fairytale world in his crazy gambit to become a god...and now you all are trying to do that again?!"

"But of course," the Evil Reader said quietly. "And this time, we're taking all precautionary measures. We mostly spend our times preparing the worlds for Chaos, but I was sent to fight his foes-the people who defeated him and ruined his plans in the first place."

"Us..."

"That's right. You. You and your stupid powers have done nothing but set him back, set us back," the Evil Reader spat, getting up from his relaxed pose. His green eyes were alight with rage. "We were this close to winning, and you set us back."

"We weren't going to let him kill everyone and run the world the way he wanted to," Woofster shot back fiercely. "And we're going to fight him. We've fought him before, and we're not afraid of him."

The Evil Reader's form shuddered with spiteful laughter. "That's some big talk for someone who could barely put up a resistance towards me," he spat. "But trust me, when Chaos comes back, you _will_ be afraid, because what he did the last time is nothing compared to what he's planning _this_ time. I especially enjoyed hearing about what he's got in store for your precious _friends_."

Woofster's eyes widened. "My friends?" he repeated.

The Evil Reader drew closer. "Now that I've told you everything about my Master's plan, it looks like I'm going to have to kill you, Woofster," he said. His cutlass was quickly covered with tongues of fire. "Not like you were you going to get away alive, anyway."

Woofster's eyes narrowed. His reply was two words: _"Chain Bind."_

The Evil Reader froze in midair as blue chains of light shot up from the ground and latched around his ankles and wrists. He looked at the bonds and then at Woofster with a smirk on his face. "Impressive. Why didn't you pull that out when we were first fighting?" he said.

Woofster ignored the taunt, instead focusing on drawing in energy. The cracked dictionary badge on his collar began to crackle with electricity, and large currents of electricity raced over his body. The lightning illuminated his eyes, and in those eyes was unmistakable fury. "You...you trapped thousands of people, including my friends, and now you're trying to kill more of them..." His eyes narrowed even more. "You won't get away with this. And you certainly won't be reporting back to Chaos. I'll make sure of that."

The Evil Reader sneered. "At your current power level? Ridiculous," he taunted.

Woofster pawed at the ground impatiently as he waited for the power to grow to its zenith. Anyone else who would've seen this enormous power output would immediately assume that he was intending to blast his opponent. But Woofster had no intention of blasting him with a full volley of lightning, as much as he deserved it. This person, who was bringing about another wave of destruction on innocent people, who'd encased his friends, who had casually threatened the other Super Readers' lives, deserved much more than a mere blast of energy.

This attack, which he'd gotten from Jeremiah, was one he hardly used due to its mere destructive might. He'd used it to defeat a monster that had attacked Alpha Pig, and it had been destroyed in one hit.

Woofster figured that this wouldn't destroy the Evil Reader. But if anything, it would teach him a _very_ valuable lesson about messing with his friends.

With power surging through his legs, he took off running towards the Evil Reader, steadily at first, and then full-out galloping towards him, the currents of lightning forming a cocoon around his body. Through the blue haze, he saw the Evil Reader's eyes widen with dawning shock and horror. He roared out the name of his attack: _"VOLT TACKLE!"_

He slammed straight into the Evil Reader, the force of his collision ripping the binds off of his arms and sending the boy hurtling backwards. They collided with the hard dirt road, driving a massive trench through it about twenty meters wide. They soon reached the end of the park, and tore through the concrete, followed by a building, and then another one. The Evil Reader's scream was drowned out by the roar of electricity raging through his body.

Woofster skidded to a stop, the remaining currents of lightning disappearing from his body. The Evil Reader streaked into the wall with a loud _crash_ , sending debris flying everywhere. Woofster panted heavily, his paws feeling like they were on fire. Sooner or later, the consequences of using such energy would catch up to him and leave him weakened for days, but at least he'd stopped him.

The Evil Reader coughed, and he tried to drag himself to his feet, only to fall to the ground moments later. He glared up at Woofster with one eye. "You...you'll pay for this, you wretched cur!" he spat. In a flash of light, his cutlass materialized into his hands.

"You'll have to wait another day!" Woofster said. The dictionary badge began to glow. _"Teleportation!"_

In a flash of blue light, he quickly disappeared from sight, but not before seeing the Evil Reader's face twist with anger.

* * *

 _Superhero Council Board Room_

"Step forth, Whyatt Beanstalk," one of the voices boomed from the inner part of the room.

"Yes, sir," he said, and made his way inside, heading directly for a podium directly in the center of the room. Surrounding that podium were twelve much larger ones, covered in gold and rising high into the sky like pillars. Four of the pillars were empty, but the remaining eight were filled with people. All of them were looking down at him very severely, but no one more so than the man who sat in front of him.

"A-Are you Davit, the person I'm supposed to talk to?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. And I have several questions to ask you," Davit asked. "We want to know everything about your powers, Whyatt, from how you got them to the receiving of your new powers from Jeremiah."

Whyatt nodded. "Sure. I can explain that," he said.

"Don't get too cocky, boy," one of the judges snarled.

Whyatt sighed. "Well, it all started when my friends and I were playing at the park. We discovered this old building in the forest, and it looked ready to fall apart. My friends didn't think it was anything special, but I felt...drawn to it, you know?"

"You felt drawn to it?" Davit asked.

"Yeah. Like it was...calling me to it. So, I put my hand to the door, and it automatically opened. We went inside, and what we saw was amazing." Whyatt's eyes widened. "It was like stepping into a massive library. The books in that room were way bigger than us. We couldn't see what kind of books they were, so Princess Pea used her magic to bring one down for us."

"Can you remember the name of the book she summoned first?"

"Hmmm...I remember it was something about Mother Goose," he said. "But I don't remember the exact title."

"Well, that's just great," one of the judges groaned.

"Hush, Stefan." Davit turned towards one of the men sitting next to him. "Or do you wish to leave the room for a few moments to compose yourself?"

The man in question, who had dark blue and black hair, shrugged off Davit's threat with a flick of his hand. "Very well. Carry on, boy."

"Um...okay, so, as we got closer to the book, the cover opened up in front of us, and it was filled with gold light. It was too bright for us to see, so we all covered our eyes. I managed to shut the book closed after a while, and when we opened our eyes, I found that the whole room had changed. It had a computer, a desk with different chairs and it was cleaned up! But that wasn't the weird thing," Whyatt said. "When that light disappeared, we saw that we'd gotten new clothes, too. And we didn't even know where they came from."

"Most interesting," Davit responded, resting his chin on his hand. "So, you say you received your powers as a Super Reader immediately."

"Yeah..."

"And nobody was there to explain it to you? No one to show you how your powers worked at all?"

Whyatt shook his head. "Nobody was there at all when we first found the Book Club. When we got our new powers, we were all freaked out, and we didn't want to go back to the Book Club again after that. But eventually, Red started it back up again, and then Princess Pea started talking about it, too. So we went back there to see what else was in that Book Club," he said. "The second time we went, we were trying learn how we transformed when we accidentally fell into the Mother Goose book."

Most of the Superhero Council sat up with interest now. Even Stefan had lost his sour mood. "Go on..." Davit urged.

"When we got inside...everything looked out of place," Whyatt said. "The main character in the story was a small Mother Goose, about Pig's age. She was running around trying to catch a group of sneaky elves who'd stolen her journal." His eyes widened as that sentence turned over in his head. "I remember that story now! It's called _Mother Goose's Journal_."

"Yes, yes, quite right. But what did you notice about the elves stealing her journal?" he asked.

"They were ripping out pages from it and tossing them in lakes, in mudholes and other things. But the leader of the elves was the worst. He scribbled all over one of the pages of her journal and then threw it in a crack," he said. "We didn't know what to do when we first got there, but we decided that we'd stop those elves and get her journal back."

"And from then on, that's how you learned to use your powers?"

"Yeah, for the most part. We learned that we could change a lot of things in the story to help others, but I didn't know about my powers to change the story completely until then," Whyatt said. "And as for our names, we kind of came up with them on the spot. But we didn't come up with the Why Flyers. The Super Duper Computer did."

"That makes a fair amount of sense," Davit said. "And what did you think of your ability to change the stories you entered-or as we like to put it, warp reality itself?"

"Well...I thought it was a pretty awesome power at first, but then learning about what happened to Jackson is what made me realize how serious that power is," Whyatt answered. "And it's a pretty scary power, too."

"Indeed, and not only that, but it is also quite rare. Very few people in the world can use those types of powers," Davit said. "But...the story of how you came to earn your powers and your title as a Super Reader is unlike any that we've ever heard of."

"H-How come?" Whyatt asked.

"The Super Readers have been in the fairytale world for over a hundred years, and they had bases scattered through various stories. Another thing that was common for most bases was the access to technology that wasn't available at the time," Stefan explained. "A sign that there was a hub of Super Readers protecting the story itself was a base hidden in the far back, which was run by an experienced Super Reader. They would often recruit more Super Readers when older members left to protect the fairytale world, until eventually, they died."

"Are...are you saying there were Super Readers protecting Storybrook Village?" Whyatt asked.

"Possibly, if the Book Club that you own as your base was able to do all of that," Davit said. "And you said that the first book you four entered was _Mother Goose's Journal_ , correct?"

Whyatt nodded.

"As I thought," Davit said. "You see, Whyatt, that was not a random book you fell into. That book was your first test of your powers as a Super Reader. And obviously, though you had no idea what you were doing, you and your friends passed with flying colors. And through time, you've done well learning on your own, not requiring a guide until now."

"But...I'm confused," Whyatt said. "Why wasn't there anybody else to help us when we first became Super Readers?"

"Now, as I said earlier, there could've been a previous leader, but they could've died, or simply retired."

"But there's still no explanation as to how they got their powers like that," Stefan argued, glaring at Davit. "Prove me if I wrong."

Davit groaned. "I suppose I don't have an answer for that," he answered. "But in either way, it proves that Whyatt is not the culprit."

"He isn't?" several voices chorused at once.

Whyatt himself looked flabbergasted. "I-I'm not?" he said.

"We'll have to look into it for authenticity, of course, but from what I'm hearing, you don't seem to be lying. The circumstances go against all traditional methods. If you'd had a teacher, they would've taught you how to use your powers. And mind you, not all Super Readers had good intentions," Davit said. "We'll have to speak to Jeremiah about this."

"I-I see," Whyatt answered. "So...uh..."

"Yes, you can go now," Davit said. "But don't wander too far off. We still have a lot to-"

Davit was interrupted when he heard shouting coming from outside. "What the devil is going on out there?" he demanded.

He got his answer a few seconds later when the doors quickly burst open. Standing in the doorway were Princess Pea, Red and Pig, all of whom had shocked and horrified looks on their faces.

And standing in front of them was Woofster, who looked as though he'd barely escaped being roasted alive. Murmurs and angered shouts filled the board room, and Davit got out of his chair, slamming his hands on the podium.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he boomed.

Woofster swayed uneasily on his paws, and looked up at the gathered Council members. "T-Thank goodness...I...got here..."

"Woofster?" Whyatt started, his face similar to those of his friends. "W-What are you-"

"H-He's back..." Woofster stumbled again, and tried to get to a steady stance, but it was that he was rapidly losing strength. "T-The Evil Reader's...back..."

Whyatt's words were lost against the deafening shouts of shock and anger that filled the room then. Woofster then collapsed to the ground, his legs having given out on him. The remaining Super Readers ran over to assist him, worry all over their faces. The Superhero Council's members were all shouting at each other, and Davit had no ability to keep them under control.

Whyatt didn't move, his bones rooted to the spot with shock. Woofster's words ran through his head like a broken record player.

The Evil Reader was back.

Heavens help them all, the Evil Reader was _back_...

* * *

 _Elsewhere..._

 _"Great job, by the way. I never expected you to lose to a rookie Super Reader of all things."_

The Evil Reader growled at the holographic image in front of him. "Shut up. I let him win, by the way."

A snort. _"Yeah, like I'm going to believe_ that _."_

The Evil Reader looked up at the person in front of him. She had long curly hair that flowed down to her back and trailed down to her back. She wore a dark gown that went down to her knees, and she had short, black high heels. Her smile was cruel as she looked down at him. He retorted with, "And I suppose you've been more successful on your mission?"

She nodded. _"I've taken care of the five stories I was assigned to, and so have the others. What about you?"_

"I've just completed my fourth. I had a little trouble due to that rookie," the Evil Reader growled, clenching his hand into a fist. "But I'll make sure to get even with him next time. The little runt got away, and by now he must be telling everyone about me by now."

 _"It's about time they learned about us, Material-D. Our Master's plans involve both the Council and the Super Readers."_

"You're right, Material-S." Material-D smirked viciously. "After all, he wouldn't have made this elaborate plan if it weren't to bring them out of hiding."

 _"What's your next story?"_

"Oh, it's not a story this time. It's a place, the last place that those blasted Super Readers would least expect it."

 _"You mean-"_

"That's right." Material-D turned away from Material-S with a smug smile. "Their very hometown...Storybrook Village."

* * *

 _ **I know that I left things on a major cliffhanger, but that's what all authors do to get you to read :D  
**_

 _ **There was a lot of stuff going on in this chapter. One, we have the story of how the Super Readers first got their powers, who founded them, and a little bit of the Superhero Council's inner workings. Two, we have the fight between Woofster and this new Evil Reader, now known by the codename Material-D, and it's shown that he's not alone.**_

 _ **As for the names, they WERE based of off Nanoha, Fate and Hayate's dark copies from the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable games, but their origins are different.**_

 _ **Next chapter will introduce the other members of the Evil Readers, and the Super Readers' mission to rescue the stories before it's too late.**_

 _ **Constructive criticism is great!**_

 _ **God bless, iheartgod175**_


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